I’ve wanted to write
about people doing great things in Second Life for quite a while because I think it’s
very interesting how differently we each see it and the amazing things we can
do in this virtual world.
I remember the
first time I saw the charming Mr. Anthony Gartner and his intriguing eyes. I
was relaxing on my favorite island, The Dreamer´s Island, when I noticed him.
It’s an Adult
Island. The entire beach is full of goodies
with excellent animations for both couples in love or singles if you just want
to chill on your own. You can take a hot air balloon, explore, meet people, dance, swim, surf, have
fun or just relax. If you’re in the mood for interaction with others, then you
can check out the beach club. You can mellow out to the music as the sea breeze gently ruffles your hair. There are no strict rules and all avatars are welcome. The only restriction is that due to the adult nature of the sim no child avatars are permitted.
They say curiosity killed the cat, but
satisfaction brought it back… I clicked on various objects dotted around me to
learn a little more about the creator when Mr. Gartner himself appeared. Since
I’m always on the lookout for a good story I thought it would be the perfect
opportunity to talk to him about Dreamer Island and his creations.
Here’s a little insight
into who Mr. Gartner is. He’s very polite and took the time to grant
me this interview. He’s the owner of The Dreamer Island. You can find and test all the objects in the
The Dreamer Creations collection on the island. He has a store on the SL Marketplace.
He creates Furniture, prefabs, beach and garden products, tropical tiki and
other landscaping items, which include a multitude of different sit poses and
cuddles. The island was built with the explicit purpose of testing Mr. Gartner's creations. What better way than getting them tested by those who'd be using them. The result, no buyers remorse. His creations can be found on a number of sims throughout Second Life.
Interview with Mr Gartner
Camury:
How long have you been in SL and what do you bring to it?
Mr. Gartner : almost 7 years now. Always enjoyed the video games and the experience
of a life in a virtual world was exciting.
Camury:
How long have you had your store?
Mr. Gartner : since 2010
Camury:
What inspired you to start making furniture and decorations?
Mr. Gartner : At
first it was the interest of learning to build with prims in SL. I always liked
decorating so when I realized I could create things that weren’t too bad I
continued and started to sell.
Camury: Did you create everything yourself or did you you have help?
Mr. Gartner: I work alone. Although I don't make mesh products. These days I concentrate mostly on texturing and a bit of scripting and adding the appropriate animations.
Camury:
What’ s your favourite thing about Second Life?
Mr. Gartner : It ‘s
a bit like asking what is your favourite thing in life. Everything that can bring some enjoyment: the contact with friends,
exploring beautiful places, shopping for clothes or furniture, decorating. And especially I love animations that bring
life and expression to our avatars.
Camury: What
don´t you like about Second Life?
Mr. Gartner : One
thing that comes to my mind is I think the developers of Second Life could
improve the avatars customization of appearance. Now people need to buy mesh
bodies and heads created by others to look more "realistic".
Also to be able to
create anything pretty in this world we need the use of external tools. Nothing
really great looking can be created only inworld.
Also it is a very
mercantile world. I hate the business of gachas.
And the sims are
too expensive...
Camury: How do you feel about the
economic situation in Second Life?
Mr. Gartner : Probably
it's slowing down. There are too many events, people shop more in events and
less in stores. Productivity is boosted at the expense of quality.
Camury: What do you love about Second Life
more? What makes you keep logging?
Mr. Gartner : It
became an addiction over time. It’s a part of my life here now and there's
always things to do here.
Camury: Tell me how The Dreamers Island came into being?
Mr. Gartner: The idea of a Tropical Island has always appealed to me and I started creating products specifically for this kind of lifestyle. I developed rentals on four homesteads around The Dreamer sim, but unfortunately even though it was well supported I had too many public areas which meant it was unprofitable. Having a purely residential sim wasn't for me and I stopped this endeavour and kept the main sim for my store and for public enjoyment.
Camury: What are the rules since it's an adult sim?
Mr. Gartner: There are not many rules. It's a nude beach, but clothing is optional. I prefer visitors not to visit in winter outfits though and definitely no children are allowed on the sim.
Camury: Does The Dreamers Island have a group visitors can join?
Mr. Gartner: The group has been in existence from the time when I had the rentals. Some people still like to join it but basically it is useless these days.
Camury: Can you tell me what you were doing
in SL before starting The Dreamer Creations?
Mr. Gartner : The
same except creating, I was a noob, I was discovering SL. And I was playing
Zyngo to earn my L$.
Camury: What usually inspires you to create
objects?
Mr. Gartner : When
I get an idea of something I would like to have for myself and to decorate my
own sim or home.
Camury: Have you had experiences with
bad things like copybot and griefing?
Mr. Gartner :
Not really. Nothing I can think of right now.
Mr. Gartner is an
example of how SL has encouraged many people to explore their creative side
while enjoying a rewarding experience in Second Life.
Thank you Mr. Gartner for taking time out of your
schedule for this interview.
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